Office of Nuclear Energy U.S. Nuclear Energy Program Bradley Williams Senior Advisor, Office of Nuclear Energy U.S. Department of Energy October 13, 2016 Nuclear Energy Tribal Working Group
Trends in Nuclear Recognition of importance of nuclear today and in the future in meeting carbon reduction/climate goals Concern about financial viability of some currently operating plants, yet large carbon reduction benefits from keeping them running Generation II and III reactors Increased interest in nuclear in some domestic and international markets Generation III+ SMR technology Innovators and some utilities looking at advanced Generation IV nuclear as a way to move nuclear beyond electricity 2
Nuclear Energy Sustainably Clean Power To meet our emissions reduction targets and avoid the worst effects of climate change, we need to dramatically reduce power sector emissions. Switching from coal to natural gas is already reducing the U.S. carbon footprint, but it s not enough to get the deep CO 2 cuts envisioned in the President s Climate Action Plan. Reducing emissions by 80% will likely require the complete decarbonization of the power sector. Wind and solar are growing rapidly, but we have not yet solved the challenge of grid-scale storage that will provide power when intermittent sources cannot. We know nuclear can provide 24-hour baseload power, because it already does. Worldwide, nuclear power produces more energy than hydro, solar, wind, and geothermal power combined. Secretary Moniz COP21, Paris 2015 The bottom line is that to achieve the pace and scale of worldwide carbon reductions needed to avoid climate change, nuclear must play a role. 3
Clean Power Plan In August 2015, President Obama announced a Clean Power Plan to reduce carbon emissions in the United States. The plan sets flexible and achievable standards to reduce power sector carbon dioxide emissions by 32 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. Nuclear energy can be incorporated into state plans New nuclear power (including under construction) and nuclear uprates count towards compliance States can design their own policies to comply with their goals, and may choose to incent existing nuclear plants to continue to operate DOE stands ready to assist states with technical expertise to meet these pollution-cutting targets while maintaining an effective, affordable, and reliable electric system. - Secretary Moniz 4
Notional Nuclear Energy Deployment Scenarios The partitioning between GE III+, SMRs, and GEN IV depend on the availability of the technologies and supply-chain considerations Life extension to 80 yrs for 60% of current capacity (younger and larger units) LWR LIFE EXTENSION (60 yrs) USED FUEL STORAGE 2010 2020 LWR LIFE EXTENSION (80 yrs) ADVANCED LWR BASED SYSTEMS & COMPONENTS SMALL MODULAR REACTORS 2030 2040 ADVANCED REACTORS NUCLEAR HYBRID ENERGY SUSTAINABLE FUEL CYCLE GEOLOGIC REPOSITORY A balanced and innovative National Nuclear Energy RD&D portfolio is needed to meet near-terms priorities and long-term objectives, given the long development and deployment period for nuclear technologies. 5
Challenges and Changes to U.S. Nuclear Fleet The economic challenges facing nuclear plants have prompted some utilities to retire reactors early. The prospect of even more early retirements has significant and potentially quite serious consequences... The nuclear fleet is currently the largest part of America s clean, emission-free electricity generation. We need this source if we expect to overcome our nation s environmental challenges. Secretary of Energy Moniz, May 2016 Fitzpatrick, Pilgrim, Oyster Creek, slated to close Additionally, Fort Calhoun, Clinton, Quad Cities, Nine Mile Point-1, Ginna, Diablo Canyon recently announced plans to close Many others at at-risk especially in deregulated markets Some estimates as high as 40-50% of the fleet Retired nuclear plants are replaced almost entirely with natural gas-fired generation Note: this is a notional depiction of closure scenarios. The announced closures line only includes Fitzpatrick, Pilgrim, and Oyster Creek. 6
Proposed Actions from the Summit on Improving the Economics of America s Nuclear Power Plants Policy should be technology neutral Focus on the end goal (i.e., reduced carbon emissions) rather than advancing a particular technology Level the Playing Field treat all clean technologies equally Outreach and education Near-term action by FERC on Price Formation Valuation needs to be considered by FERC / Markets Zero-carbon, Reliability, Resiliency, Affordability, Fuel Diversity, Sustainability, Security, Flexibility, etc. Clean Energy Standards Reduce Operating Costs Delivering the Nuclear Promise LWR Working Group technical advances Provide additional energy services (i.e., process heat applications) Clean Power Plan Implementation Mass-based with new source complement Power Purchase Agreements Legislation Carbon Price, Production Tax Credit Re-regulate 7
Federal Loan Guarantees Underpin New Nuclear Build The Energy Policy Act of 2005 authorized the Department of Energy to issue loan guarantees for projects that avoid, reduce or sequester greenhouse gases and employ new or significantly-improved technologies as compared to technologies in service in the United States at the time the guarantee is issued. In Georgia, two AP1000s are being built with $8.3 billion in loan guarantees from the Department of Energy. Construction of Vogtle Unit 3, January 2014 Georgia Power Company DOE announced an additional $12.5 billion solicitation for loan guarantees for Advanced Nuclear Energy Projects in December 2014 -- focuses on four key areas: Advanced nuclear reactors Small modular reactors Uprates and upgrades at existing facilities Front-end nuclear projects, such as uranium, conversion, enrichment and fuel fabrication 8
Why SMRs? Promoting the accelerated deployment of SMRs by supporting design certification and licensing for U.S.-based SMR projects Clean Energy Option Non-Electricity Missions U.S. Coal Plant Capacity vs. Age Microgrids 9
Vision and Strategy for Advanced Reactors VISION By 2050, advanced reactors will provide a significant and growing component of the nuclear energy mix both domestically and globally, due to their advantages in terms of improved safety, cost, performance, sustainability, and reduced proliferation risks. GOAL By the early 2030s, at least two non-light water advanced reactor concepts have reached technical maturity, demonstrated safety and economic benefits, and completed licensing reviews by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) sufficient to allow construction to go forward. 10
A New Framework For Faster and More Cost-Effective Innovation in Nuclear Energy Sequential Progression For Innovation DOE selects and develops promising innovative technologies VENDORS/SUPPLIERS convert a subset of the technologies into commercial products UTILITIES deploy a subset of the commercial products For complex technologies such as nuclear energy, the sequential model becomes less effective when large amounts of funding are required and the technology maturation cycle is long. Integrated Approach for Innovation to Achieve All 3 Strategic Objectives Simultaneously DOE/Industry Maintaining Global Technology Leadership DOE-VENDORS-UTILITIES Private-Public Partnership Model Optimized strategy for development, demonstration, and deployment of advanced technologies. Enabling Global Industrial Leadership Optimizing use of nuclear energy domestically within the clean energy portfolio 11 Vendors/Suppliers Utilities
Investment Levels ($M) Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) Removing barriers nuclear energy deployment TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEST BEDS MAY BE DEFINED FOR ADDRESSING THE TWO VALLEYS OF DEATH 1000 R&D TEST BED Rapid and cost-effective retirement of technical risk for innovative technologies.! for 1 st of a kind 100 10 DEMO PLATFORM Minimize the difference between 1 st of a kind and n th of a kind and reduce the cost uncertainty for commercial units. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Proof-of-Concept Proof-of-Performance Proof-of-Operations Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 9 3 https://gain.inl.gov Phase I Phase II Phase III A tailored approach to support technologies of varying TRLs 12
NE Reorganization 13
Informing Future Policy Quadrennial Energy Review First Installment Transforming U.S. Energy Infrastructure in a Time of Rapid Change Findings included the growing dependencies of all critical infrastructures and economic sectors on electricity and the increasing interdependence of the various energy subsectors Quadrennial Technology Review Examined the most promising RDD&D opportunities across energy technologies to effectively address the nation's energy needs Quadrennial Energy Review Second Installment An Integrated Study of the Electricity System Covers generation to end-use Also includes specific focuses on valuation, markets, jurisdiction, environment, and distribution Mission Innovation Accelerate the deployment of clean energy technologies by doubling R&D budgets over 5 years 14
Highlights of the Nuclear Energy FY 2017 Request FY 2016 Enacted FY 2017 Request FY 17 vs FY16 Delta $986M $994M +$8M Nuclear Energy accelerates integrated waste management implementation with consent-based siting and invests in emerging nuclear reactor designs and advanced fuels. Small Modular Reactors ($90M) Complete DOE commitment for the NuScale Design Certification (DC) Project supports NRC review of DC application, NuScale s engineering and analytical efforts to respond to NRC review issues, and work towards finalizing the SMR design. Reactor Concepts ($109M) Continue LWRS efforts to maintain carbon free power generation by the current fleet and supports R&D of advanced reactor technologies. Consolidates sco 2 R&D activities (STEP). Fuel Cycle R&D ($250M) Accelerate Integrated Waste Management System storage & transportation and consent-based siting activities; initiate development and qualification phase for accident tolerant fuel to support insertion of a lead test rod or assembly in a commercial reactor by 2022; continue deep borehole field test; and continue collaboration with industry on extended storage of high-burnup used fuel. Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies ($90M) Supports modeling and simulation, cross-cutting technology development, nuclear user facilities, and traineeships for critical nuclear technologies. Idaho National Laboratory ($356M) Modernization of facilities and security capabilities, including initiation of 5 year ATR reliability improvement program. International Nuclear Energy Coordination ($5M) -- Initiates development of a program for international nuclear energy education outreach to support emerging countries developing nuclear energy programs. 15